The spectacular Taiwan Blue Magpie was seen
several times during the tour

Set departure tour

14-25 November 2004

Leader: Keith Barnes

“Remember those
bird tours when after hours of tramping along trails, soaking wet, freezing
cold or steaming with sweat and aching all over, you've asked yourself...`and
I paid to do this?' Well, do yourself a favour and do Taiwan with Tropical
Birding. Its `Absolute Bloody Luxury'. No humping up and down endless trails,
long extensive death marches and up hours before sunrise to get to the birds.
Taiwan is fabulous with tons of birds, dynamic endemics and you'll get the lot
under the leadership of Keith. I was expecting maybe only a handful of the endemics
on their last trip and we saw them all with relative ease and not just one Swinhoe's
Pheasant, but a whole shed-load. Missed only a grotty Bradypterus warbler of dubious speciation!!
All these great birds with a superlative infrastructure, luxury hotels and scrumptious
food. Thanks to Tropical Birding, Keith and Yvonne. Now, where else do they
do tours?” Ian Sinclair – near-legendary bird trip leader and author
of African bird books.

Trip Report

Summary

Taiwan combines an eclectic mix of phenomenal
south Chinese montane birding, 14 endemic species and nearly 60 endemic sub-species
- several of which are ripe for splitting - and extraordinary food, ancient
culture mixed with a people that could not be more inviting and friendly. A
typical island, what it lacks in diversity it more then makes up for in endemicity.
On this tour we managed 14 endemics and a host of endemic sub-species in a triplist
of 184. Undoubted highlights included a staggering 14 Swinhoe’s Pheasants
in one hour. We think this is some kind of world record, and one we don’t
think we will ever repeat, but needless to say, we saw these birds exceptionally
well. Some of the group also nailed Mikado Pheasant fleeing from the
path and Taiwan Hill Partridge, both extremely tricky species. The bevy
of endemic babblers were also fantastic including Steere’s Liocichla, Taiwan
Yuhina, White-whiskered Sibia, Taiwan Barwing and White-whiskered Laughing-thrush.
The striking Taiwan Yellow Tit did not fail to mesmerise, and although
we saw it commonly in one locality we never saw it again. As we climbed higher
into the cool but crisp mountains the ruby-red neck and throat patch of the
Collared Bush Robin became a daily feature and we also got to see the
most impressive Kinglet in the world in the form of the spectacular Flamecrest,
a surprisingly beautiful bird. As we reached the lowlands of the east coast,
we were able to find the increasingly endangered Styan’s Bulbul. Although
common, it is unfortunately being hybridised out of existence by the Light-vented
Bulbul, which is moving farther and farther south. We eventually caught
up with the electric blue Taiwan Whistling Thrush. After a few days of
it singing sweetly from the bushes we were able to feast on it in an open riverbed.
The final endemic, seen on the first and last days, was the giant Formosan
Blue Magpie. This marvellous beast hangs around in imposing flocks of 8
– 15 and they came bounding out of the forest like woodhoopoes on steroids.
In the lowland rivers non-endemics specialities included a few Little Forktails
and Brown Dippers negotiating their way through the waterways. A
major highlight was a large flock of roving Golden Parrotbill that we
were extremely lucky to locate in the high mountains, as well as the curvaceous
Streak-breasted and Spot-breasted Scimitar Babblers. Taiwan is
also famous as a flyway, and migrants formed a significant proportion of our
tally including the highly endangered Black-faced Spoonbill, of which
we saw over 200 birds, some 25% of the global population and Saunder’s Gull,
another threatened species. In the mountains, migrant thrushes featured and
we scored with Dusky, Brown-headed, Pale and Eye-browed Thrush which
were joined at the fruiting trees on a couple of occasions by the dazzling resident
white-headed Taiwan-endemic subspecies of Island Thrush. We finished
off with the now famous Malayan Night Heron’s in Taipei Gardens on a
bumper-filled tour that was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Introduction

Although Taiwan is best known for its political defiance of mainland China and cheap electronics shopping markets
of Taipei, and is commonly thought of as wall-to-wall industrialised
and full of people, these ideas represent a tiny portion of this island nation.
Although the west coast may meet some of these perceptions, what is not commonly
known about Taiwan are the extensive and rugged wilderness areas of the interior
and east coast, including some of the most stunning mountain landscapes
in Asia. Taiwan is a continental island, formed by the action of tectonic plates
on the eastern edge of the Asian shelf; this dramatic uplift has given it the
most remarkable topography. Although only 400 km long and 150 km wide, the island
rises from a shallow western coastal plain to reach 4000 m a.s.l. at its highest
peak.

Lying on the tropic of cancer, the
coastal lowlands are distinctly tropical, warm and muggy, but with over 15 peaks
that reach above 3000 m a.s.l., the interior of the island comprises a series
of concentric vegetation bands that terminate in temperate coniferous forest
and arctic-like alpine tundra at the highest limits. In winter the highest peaks
are blanketed in snow and ice, where only accentors are brave enough to endure.
At 35 800 km2, this small island is about one quarter the size of
England. An important part of the Asian flyway, Taiwan attracts a variety of
migrants and accidentals, which have led to it having an impressive birdlist
of over 400 species. Although there are many impressive endemics, the best time
to visit the country is November, when many of the migrants are present.

14 Nov. Taipei. Although today was officially an arrival day, those
that made it early got to enjoy one of Taipei’s great new outdoors spots, the
Kuan-Du Nature Park. Handed over to the Wild Bird Society of Taipei (WBST) by
the city government, the NGO group has done a phenomenal job at turning it into
a state of the art recreation and education area for the people of Taipei city
and it is a pretty useful place to start a birding tour if you are stuck in
the city for a few hours. Although the ponds hold typical and common species
like Little Grebe and Grey Heron, it also holds a few unusual
ones as this was one of the few places we saw Yellow Bittern, Common Snipe,
Common Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Oriental Reed Warbler and most
importantly Vineous-throated Parrotbill. We also saw many common waterbirds
for the first time including Little Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Eurasian
Wigeon, Eurasian Teal, Spot-billed Duck, Gargany, Northern Shoveller, Common
Moorhen and Eurasian Coot. Oriental Turtle, Spotted and Red-collared
Dove were also all seen well for the first time. After we had picked up
the last of the participants we headed to a nearby hotel, enjoying the first
of our many escapades on the Taiwan food front.

15 Nov. Shimen Dam. Up early today we headed to some forest surrounding
the dam and recreation area. We started looking for a couple of the lowland
forest endemics but first came up trumps with a few commoner forest birds such
as the immaculate Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler and Red-headed
Tree Babbler. A Black Kite soared over the water and we located our
only Great Cormorant of the trip as well as our first Crested Goshawk
soaring above the canopy. The calls of the much sought after Taiwan Hill
Partridge emanated from way up the hill slope but we were lucky enough to
get glimpses of a Chinese Bamboo Partridge scurrying away in the understorey.
The staccato “troook-troook-trook-trook” call of a barbet gave away the Black-browed
Barbet. Called the many-coloured bird in Mandarin, this is an apt description
of this green, blue, red and black beauty! A flock of spectacular and noisy
Grey Treepies were located and soon thereafter the highlight on the morning
(and for some the trip) a flock of 10 Formosan Blue Magpies came barrelling
out of the forest. We followed these exquisite creatures for a while. Being
nearly 65 cm long from tail to tip they resembled a group of woodhoopoes on
steroids! The serene and melancholy call of a White-tailed Blue Robin gave
away a superb electric-blue male….stunning creature. Above it a small mixed
species flock comprised a male Black-naped Monarch and both Dusky
(Gould’s) and Grey-cheeked Fulvettas, along with a White-bellied
Yuhina and Japanese White-eye. Both Light-vented and several
hundred Black Bulbuls were feeding in a fruiting tree. We located a singing
Formosan Whistling Thrush, but obtained only the briefest views before
it scuttled away. We also found a Yellow-browed (Inornate) Warbler,
a scarce passage migrant and several Large-billed Crows and Tree Sparrows.
After a sumptious lunch we headed for the central island town of Puli, the gateway
to the mountains. Approaching the hills, one can’t help but be impressed by
the huge mountains that cloak Taiwan’s interior, covered in mixed conifer and
broadleaved woodland, they are as striking as they are enticing. The river held
many hirundines, particularly big groups of Barn Swallow and Plain
Martin, but intermingled were a few Pacific and Striated Swallows.
We first explored some agricultural scrub which is surprisingly birdy, nailing
a pair of Barred Buttonquail was one of the highlights. We were able
to flush these birds several times for superb flight views of both male and
female. We also encountered White, Yellow and Black-backed Wagtail
and Brown Shrike and Black Drongo here. The wetlands around
Puli were great and one of the prize finds was a Cinnamon Bittern that
exploded from some nearby reedbeds. The wetlands also revealed Common Kingfisher,
a flushed Water Rail and White-breasted Waterhen and the locally
scarce Black-winged Stilt, Common Sandpiper and Red-necked Stilt.
After dark we tried a spot for some owls but got skunked, so we retired to Puli
satisfied with the day’s bag!

16 Nov. Wushe Area. Another predawn wake-up because we were making our
way into the higher mountains to look for a whole lot of new and interesting
goodies. Our first stop produced Fire-breasted Flowerpecker almost immediately.
A group of Olive-backed Pipits foraged on the open lawns in earnest,
and we were able to scope these for classic looks before a mixed flock of Little
Swift and Asian House Martins flew overhead. Later we located our
first White-bellied Pigeon of the trip. Walking along a spectacular stream
that carved its way through the steep-sided granite we found a Grey Wagtail
and then the much sought-after Little Forktail. The most diminutive
of this exclusive Asian group of river birds the little pied male stood on a
large boulder in the middle of the torrent. Pink legs standing out, we all soaked
up this little jewel. A mixed species flock started making its way through the
red, brown and yellow leaves of the fall trees, and soon it was hard to find
the Grey-chinned Minivets as their spectacular yellows-and-reds did not
contrast with the trees! Other members in the flock included the sweet little
Rufous-faced Warbler and the rufescent and sapphire Vivid Niltava.
A gully with a billboard of a Swinhoe’s Pheasant got pulses racing, and
we did see some great endemics but no pheasants. A group of noisy Steere’s
Liocichla passed close by with some fulvettas before we nabbed a spectacular
white-whiskered Taiwan Sibia and comically-crested Taiwan Yuhina.
A tit flock proved spectacular, resulting in a virtual clean sweep of the Paridae
on the island. The one everyone remembers is the fantastic crested Taiwan
Yellow Tit. But we also encountered a flock of 30-odd Black-throated
Tit, Green-backed Tit and a few immaculate chestnut and grey Varied Tits,
which were joined by a Eurasian Nuthatch and Eurasian Jay. Another
stop near a stream and an idyllic pool yielded another Little Forktail,
which we were able to show to a couple of Taiwanese who showed appropriate excitement
and then located a Plumbeous Water Redstart which wagged its tail from
side to side in typical fashion and a very co-operative male Snowy-browed
Flycatcher. This superb little understorey bird flitted backwards and forwards,
fearlessly returning to the same perch time and time again. A large raptor could
be seen above the trees and soon we identified it as an Oriental Honey Buzzard
soaring overhead. On our way down the hill we heard and then located the
bizarre Collared Finchbill – a bulbul with the beak of a finch – as well
as a spectacular singing male Siberian Rubythroat that showed in the
open for some time….absolutely dazzling! A Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler
called incessantly and responded very well to tape but never showed for
any length of time before slipping back into the thick undergrowth! Pulling
into Wushe our local expert took us into an unspectacular looking restaurant
(not one I would have chosen) but we enjoyed what turned out to be a delicious
lunch of sweet & sour fish, black-bean chicken, sizzling black beef and
a variety of tofu and bean-sprout dishes that defied description. I guess that
is one thing birding the east provides…spectacular meals in the most fascinating
places!

Feeling
somewhat bloated and in need of a walk, shortly after lunch we wondered around
town and while looking for a Formosan Whistling Thrush quickly found
Blue Rock Thrush and a tree full of Eye-browed and Pale Thrushes.
I had been somewhat concerned as my contacts on the ground had reported that
precious few migrating passerines were around, but obviously the large front
a few days ago was bringing a windfall, and we were to encounter more migrant
passerines over the next few days! Our last stop for the day was in some farmland
near Wushe where we took a lot of time and tape-playing to get a Hwa-mei
out of cover; eventually it showed well for all to see. The area also yielded
a superb male Daurian Redstart and as it was nearing dusk we located
a small covey of Chinese Bamboo Partridge heading off to roost and we
were lucky enough to get some decent views, before we headed off up the hill
in anticipation of our first serious attempt at the endemic pheasants tomorrow!

The
dainty and spectacular Taiwan Yellow Tit was seen today and on no other day
on the trip.

17 Nov. Wushe Area. Another early start was needed to be tracking pheasants
at dawn. We drove for about 40 minutes in the dark, flushing a Taiwan Whistling
Thrush (which no-one saw except me!) before arriving at the designated pheasant
spot. One can normally count yourself lucky if you see one or two pheasants
in a morning, four would be exceptional, and 14 would be…..well, a world record!
We saw 14 Swinhoe’s Pheasants in a little under one hour by driving quietly
along a private track (that very few people know about), which hardly has any
disturbance and where the birds are safe from hunters. From point blank range
we had males, females and youngsters of all sizes and descriptions. The males
are the stars of the show though, with their brilliant sapphire-and-white plumage
contrasting with the scarlet face and legs. Shortly after parking the car we
found a White-bellied Pigeon perched overhead. A fair game of cat-and-mouse
progressed before we saw our first red-necklaced Collared Bush Robin,
fortunately we were to locate this species several times throughout he day.
Stunned and overjoyed by our pheasant success, we made for a walking trail through
some forest where we were to locate several seldom seen birds (although none
endemic). The first was a flock of Rusty Laughing Thrush. We soon discovered
that they were constantly returning to a bush low-down in the forest that was
fruiting with red berries. Chasing after a pair of calling Spot-breasted
Scimitar Babblers, which showed themselves to people with varying degrees
of success, we returned to the fruiting shrub which was attracting both the
Rusty Laughing Thrush and Spot-breasted Scimitar Babblers for
spectacular extended looks. A Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler kept us
entertained momentarily before we started waltzing up the trail. A huge flock
of small birds started crossing the trail. Immediately eliminating Black-throated
Tit because of the jizz, my heart started racing and we stormed up the path
towards them. Upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed, a flock of over 30
exquisite Golden Parrotbills shot across the road at quite a pace. Although
they never remained in one place for long I was delighted as I was a lifer for
me. The group indulged me! Next we located some Taiwan Partidge that
were extremely close. Although not everyone saw them, several people got good
looks. A small flock with all the regular tits, nuthatches and jays moved through
and we located a couple of gorgeous Taiwan Barwings gleaning away on
the treebark. We were rapidly cleaning up the endemics. Moving slowly down the
hill and back towards lunch, I heard the tell-tale wavering warble of a White-browed
Shortwing. Tracking through the undergrowth and playing tape I eventually
managed to lure the bird out momentarily for all to see. We caught up with another
new bird before lunch, a Grey-faced Woodpecker that called. Lunch and
a short rest followed before we headed out to a different site, where we located
huge flocks of Ashy Woodpigeon.
Although we located many species we’d seen previously we were starting to look
for the needles in the haystack, the rare birds of the mountains and first we
located a beautiful White-backed Woodpecker high in the tree and a little
later before calling it a day, we saw one of my favourite birds in Taiwan, the
diminutive, cute and strange tail-less Pygmy Wren-babbler. Dancing across
the ground like a miniature pitta, the scales across the breast were captivating
and this was a grand finale for perhaps the best day on the tour! We also happened
upon another Swinhoe’s Pheasant to turn it into a 15 pheasant day! Dinner
was another fine feast of oriental cuisine.

The
beautiful Taiwan Sibia was one of the day’s babbler highlights

18 Nov. Wushe - Hohuanshan.

Because today we were headed to the top of
the pass at Mt. Hohuanshan, we thought we better wait a little while for it
to warm up, which proved to be a wise decision. We started the day in some lower
montane forest in an effort to see Mikado Pheasant (which we dipped!),
but we did add Besra and a flock of smart Brown Bullfinch to the
list. As it warmed up we moved through the stunted upper forest and scrub before
reaching the conifer zone. This extremely beautiful area is graced with sweeping
vistas of most of Taiwan’s impressive 3000 m tall peaks, all covered in forest
and glades. Our first stop almost instantly yielded our main target bird, the
White-whiskered Laughing-thrush along with a very co-operative Winter
Wren that refused to get off the boardwalk we were walking on and then a
pair of white-eyed Streak-throated Fulvetta. On our way back to the car, Ian Sinclair
picked up the call of a Goldcrest-like bird and soon we had nailed the dazzling,
red-and-yellow, grey and white-spectacled Taiwan Flamecrest! Much buoyed
we headed for the vendors at the top of the hill who sell extra-hot Mr. Brown’s
Coffee and hot noodle-soup from the back of their trucks. We enjoyed the infusion
of warmth while enjoying the dramatic view, but not before we had three Alpine Accentors scamper across the road and we had to slam on breaks
for them. For the rest of the day we searched for the Taiwan form of Russet
Scrub Warbler (considered an endemic species Alishan Bush Warbler by
some) but we turned up only Coal Tit and a scarlet male Vinaceous Rosefnch.

19 Nov. Wushe - Hualien.

Essentially a travel day we stopped along
the road up to Mt Hohuanshan looking for species that we still needed. Amongst
the more common doves, tits and babblers we located a couple of Pale Thrush
and a new one, Brown-headed Thrush, near some fruiting trees. Moving
on we bumped into some Taiwanese birders and exchanged notes. They quickly showed
us a digi-scoped photo of the local and very rare endemic white-headed race
of Island Thrush that they had just seen. We asked them where it was
and in typical Taiwanese hospitality they walked back along the way they had
come to show us the spot. No sooner had we all arrived and a pair of Island
Thrushes landed in a fruiting tree and showed well for a period of five
minutes for all to see. This was a serious bonus bird on this trip and not one
I had been expecting at all. The white-head, chestnut throat and breast, make
this form unlike any other Island Thrush, and it seems to be a very strong
contender for species status, the Taiwan Thrush! Further up the hill
we located Eurasian Siskin and Grey-headed Bulfinch before heading
over the top of Mt Hohuan. On the lower slopes we made for the exceptionally
scenic Taroko Gorge where there are many spectacular rivers, torrents and forested
streams and one of these eventually yielded a pair of Brown Dipper. Dropping
through Taroko is exceptional. Termed one of Asia’s seven wonders, it is truly
a magnificent setting and no-better place to see the endemic Styan’s Bulbul.
Unfortunately this species is being hybridised with the Light-vented Bulbul
and its range is slowly being forced farther and farther south. Just before
lunch we rounded a corner and perched in the centre of the road was a Dusky
Thrush!! The last of the regular migrant thrushes we needed. After a picnic
lunch on the sides of the gorge we made our way to the coastal lowlands of Hualien,
where the open seashore and grassy areas provided Eurasian Kestrel, Snowy
(Kentish) Plover, Oriental Skylark and Zitting Cisticola. We spent
the night in this quiet country town and our Yvonne (Tropical Birding’s own
Taiwanese!) joined us for the next two days. She ordered up a sumptious meal
that comprised Dim-sum dumplings, Hot-and-sour soup and something George decided
he could not live without! The meals were simply spectacular when she was around!

20 Nov. Hualien-Taitung.

Now needing only a handful of lowland birds
we made for one of the lowland forest reserves on the east coast. Apart from
having to do some serious negotiating to get in, because they had closed the
park for renovations we had an excellent time locating several flocks of fulvettas,
babblers and tits. In amongst the flocks were the birds we sought including
repeat views of Black-crested Monarch and White-bellied Yuhina that
some had missed earlier but four new species Crested Serpent Eagle, Grey-capped
Pygmy Woodpecker, Bronzed Drongo and the exceptional Maroon Oriole.
All showed nicely and we also enjoyed a walk along a river where we saw a displaying
Crested Goshawk, had by far our best views of Taiwan Whistling Thrush
bouncing along boulders in the riverbed and more Plumbeous Water Redstarts
and Brown Dipper! We made for Taitung and headed out to some wetlands
south of town to look for some sought-after birds. This is one of the few areas
where wild and non-introduced Ring-necked Pheasant roam wild and were
able to locate a couple of females; much more timid than their released counterparts
in Britain or the USA. Despite much looking we only added Black-faced Bunting
and waited for nightfall to do some nocturnal birding in this area. After
dark we located two nocturnal birds that are rarely seen in Taiwan, Savanna
Nightjar and Short-eared Owl. But not long thereafter after some
bad directions we got bogged in the sand for what was to turn out to be an epically
bad night for Keith. Repeated attempts to dig ourselves out on the soft beachsand
failed, so Keith arranged for the participants to be transferred back to the
hotel as the morning expedition to look for Mikado Pheasant required
a very early wake-up. After numerous trucks went backwards and forwards Keith
eventually got the bus hauled out of the sand at near midnight.

21
Nov. Taitung mountains.

Keith wasn’t sure if
it was morning, it sure still felt like the 20th! After 2-and-a-half
hours sleep we were on the road again, headed to an area reputed to be very
reliable for Mikado Pheasant. The long drive into the mountains took
us 90 minutes and we arrived just in time as the light was starting to come
up. The vehicle in front got lucky, first locating a foraging Eurasian Woodcock
in the middle of the road and then seeing a male Mikado Pheasant on
the road just next to where the parking area was. We spent most of the morning
looking for a second bird, and only Keith got to see a female as it scampered
off the trail very quickly and down a precipitous slope that could not be followed.
Small consolation for those who dipped came in the form of a magnificent Asian
Black Eagle, distant Eurasian Nutcracker and White-throated Needletail,
which were the only new birds for the morning. Many of the previous day’s flock
birds were seen. In the afternoon we birded some wetlands seeing ducks, herons
and egrets we had seen before, but nothing new, so we returned to Taitung where
we had a much deserved rest. An evening foray back to the nightbird area revealed
Intermediate Egret.

22
Nov. Taitung-Tainan.

Another travel day. We needed to spend some
time on the massive and impressive wetlands of the populous east coast. Perhaps
the most threatened habitat in Taiwan, the wetlands are under increasing pressure
in this industrious sector of the country. However Taiwan has excellent green
legislation and seems to be behaving according to acceptable international standards
when it comes to protection of natural habitat. Ironically, Tseng-wen Estuary,
the remarkable wetland near Tainan cannot be declared a RAMSAR site (Wetland
of International Importance) because China refuses to allow Taiwan to enter
the treaty! There is no doubt that the political stand-off across the Taiwan
straits is fascinating and a topic of much discussion on the long drives. It
seems that most Taiwanese accept that a One-China policy will prevail, but are
not prepared to accept the restrictive conditions that the mainland would currently
impose. Fiercely democratic and strong believers of personal and political freedom,
one hopes that the union, be it 10 or 20 years down the road, is a happy one
for all. Apart from political ramblings a fortuitous stop near the bottle-neck
bottom end of the island revealed a group Red-billed Starlings. These
are very scarce migrants and we were well pleased to catch up with this unexpected
extra! Nearer to Tainan, we headed for an area that holds the last remaining
handful of Pheasant-tailed Jacana in the country. Although not in breeding
plumage, we watched them strut their stuff to our hearts content while watching
a juvenile Yellow Bittern. While not threatened in the bigger scheme
of things the Taiwanese government has invested considerable resources into
a recovery program for its local population, which has grown from 20 to about
100 individuals, in this small area. We were also lucky enough to see a Common
Snipe in this area and recorded our second serious find of the day when
we located a Baikal Teal! Seriously stoked and after all the Asian food
the group opted for a smash and grab at a Kentucky Fried Chicken joint so that
we could head out to the birdier areas northwest of the city! Here we encounered
a host of egrets and herons. We also had a massive duck parade seeing just about
the entire suite of ducks and waders available in Taiwan, including Pintail,
Gargany, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Greenshank, Green and Wood
Sandpipers as well as a pool with our only Sharp-tailed Sandpipers of
the trip. A surprise addition to the list was a Eurasian Magpie on the
city outskirts that was not seen again! Our final serious treat for the day
was a group of four Black-faced Spoonbills that foraged alongside the
highway completely unperturbed! Returning to Tainan we enjoyed a meal of very
small dishes that were a specialty of the Tainan area before retuning to our
hotel, where on the first floor there was a remarkable offer of free food, free
beer and karaoke for guests of the hotel. We tried a few lagers while listening
to the din of hopeless men trying to woo their women and decided that Taiwanese
Karaoke was no better than western Karaoke and we slipped off to bed!

23
Nov. Tainan (Tsengwen) - Taichung.

The Tsengwen estuary and area around Tainan
supports hundreds of thousands of waterbirds in the Taiwanese winter and to
enjoy this spectacle is why we time this trip in November. We were not to be
disappointed today as we saw thousands of waterbirds of many different species.
We decided to head for a few spots that I had been to a week earlier which looked
good for waders and soon scored with Dunlin, Greenshank, Redshank, Spotted
Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Pacific Golden Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Little
Ringed, Snowy, Mongolian and Greater Sand Plovers as well as Red-necked
and Long-toed Stint. Then we headed straight for the Black-faced
Spoonbill area as rumour had it that many school children would be visiting
the site as an educational outing. We saw nearly 300 of the magnificent creatures,
considered globally Endangered by BirdLife International, some 40% of their
global population, in a single tightly knit flock. One hopes that the estuary
at Chi-ku never gets developed despite the considerable pressure to do so. The
flats also yielded the threatened Saunder’s Gull and Gull-billed Tern
amongst the Caspian Terns. The freshwater ponds revealed Common
Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Pintail, Northern Shoveller, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian
Wigeon, Black-winged Stilt, Common Greenshank, Common, Green and Wood
Sandpipers as well as Little Grebe, Gray Heron, Great, Intermediate and
Little Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron and our first “non-escape” Black-headed
Ibis. A little further north we headed to a spot where the near-mythical
Chinese Crested Tern had been spotted a year ago. We did not see the
tern, but did emerge, courtesy again of Ian’s spotting, with a rarity of our
own in the form of a Greater Black-headed Gull in a group of Black-headed
Gulls. The area did reveal Common, Little and Whiskered Tern,
which were added to the waterfowl and seabird extravaganza! The seaside
grasslands held a Golden-headed Cisticola and both Plain and Yellow-bellied
Prinias.

23
Nov. Taichung-Taipei.

Our final day, initially scheduled as a contingency
day to either hit the lowlands or highlands we were stuck with little to do
because we had done so well. Fortunately my local contacts had informed us that
Yeileo, a strange peninsula-shaped set of rocks northeast of Taipei and a well-known
migrant trap had been delivering the goods recently, so off we went. On our
way there via the Yan-ming-shan mountains we encountered a flock of Taiwan
Blue Magpie. They had been the grandest bird we saw on day one, so it was
apt that it was to see us off. After arrival at Yeileo we located a Pacific
Reef Heron foraging in the ponds near the parking lot. Although this is
a serious tourist attraction, the migrants don’t seem to mind. Exchanging info
with a few Taiwanses birders led us straight to the small group of Gray Buntings,
a rare Japanese bird that very seldom gets to Taiwan. A photographer was trying
to take pictures of them and we got the scowls we are more accustomed to as
western birders. After the unbelievable reception and impact we had had everywhere
else it was a mild relief to discover that not every single Taiwanese person
bends over backwards to accommodate you or make your stay in their country their
personal responsibility! We soon discovered the Red-flanked Bluetail and
Brown-headed Thrush that were present, but also learned that the Japanese
Robin that had been present had not been seen for a few days, so we returned
to the Taipei basin and our final adventure was looking (not very hard) for
the Malaysian Night Herons in the city centre. Found in a remarkable
setting, this bird, normally difficult to find and observe are so tame and approachable
in one of Taipei’s main recreational parks in the middle of the city! We enjoyed
point-blank range views of them before showing a couple of Taiwanese kids a
Common Kingfisher through a scope…hopefully they can become the future
little birdguides to this remarkably friendly and gratifying birding destination.
Yvonne arranged a final meal at one of Taipei’s most-famous dim-sum dumpling
houses and participants all raised their glasses to very successful and enjoyable
Taiwan adventure!